Gold Mine Accident Leaves 7 Dead

Falling rocks killed at least seven gold miners on Friday at the Randfontein Estates mine, west of Johannesburg, mining officials said.

The accident was the latest in a dangerous industry that saw 467 miners die last year, 394 in the gold industry.

Marc Gonsalves, spokesman for the Johannesburg Consolidated Investments mining house, said seven miners were killed and several others slightly injured. He blamed the accident on a rock fall a half-mile underground.

South Africa is the world’s No. 1 gold producer, but a century of heavy mining has forced companies to dig deeper and deeper, increasing the risks of accidents.